The Lost Army of Cambyses

Written by Paul Sussman
Review by Alycia Harris

Despite their strained relationship, Dr. Tara Mullray is on her way to visit her archaeologist father in Egypt, but when she arrives, she discovers that he’s dead. Meanwhile, other bodies are uncovered, making Inspector Yusuf Khalifa of the Luxor police very suspicious. As Tara and Inspector Khalifa strive to stay alive while solving the crimes, mystery is heaped upon mystery, including one that is 2500 years old.

From a history standpoint, the book is very disappointing, being mainly a modern story. There are some details worthy of note on fanatical viewpoints, a topic of interest in today’s world. Still, mysteries and adventure stories set in Egypt are fairly common, and this one really doesn’t have any spectacular quality to make it stand out from others.

Despite that, the adventure is interesting and even “edge of your seat” at times. There are interesting twists to keep the reader riveted. Any fan of Egypt and archaeology might get a kick out the setting, with the usual props such as burial chambers, antiquities, and the like. A worthy first attempt, this novel is an easy read likely to appeal to mystery and adventure fans of any time period.